Improving service for an insurance company can sometimes be nearly impossible, but they continue to try to make things easier for policyholders. Medicare is doing this in 2012 with the introduction of the Blue Button on MyMedicare.gov to help you navigate easier. This button will give you improved access to your information and more is described below. Read more…

Health insurance in general is a topic that has created many firestorms in recent years as we all start to agree that some inequities exist. New programs continue to pop up for all health insurance companies to overcome this and Medicare has joined the fray as well. Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) have been added by Medicare in 2012 to help improve the health insurance experience overall. Read more…

The Medicare Part D coverage gap can be pretty intimidating and it can be even worse when you don’t know what should and shouldn’t count towards it. If you know what does and does not count you can watch what you are charged and attempt to save as much money as possible. What is and is not covered under this coverage gap is briefly discussed below. Read more…

Medications are vital to the long term and short term health of many sick and elderly people and when those medications are not available it can cause big problems. When Medicare created a large coverage gap in Medicare Part D Coverage years ago it left many people holding the bag when it came to staying healthy. Though the coverage gap continues, it does continue to get better as it nears on the ability to close out in the not so near future. Read more…

Medicare is continuing to try to bring improved service through use of
the internet and one of those improvements is by use of the Blue
Button on MyMedicare.gov. With this button there is the ability to
access prior Medicare claims and other information pertinent to your
history. Here are a few other things that you can do with the Blue
Button to improve your health insurance experience. Read more…

Increased scrutiny has come to Medicare in recent years as our society
continues to hone in on health insurance and health in general. With
this scrutiny Medicare has had to be aware of their shortcomings and
attempt to overcome them with new programs. In 2012 one of these
programs are called Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) and they can
help improve your health insurance experience. Read more…

To get out of the coverage gap that is associated with Medicare Part D
it is important to know what expenses are a part of this gap and what
isn’t. The smarter you are about your choices of what to pay for the
better off you will be when it comes time to reach the gap. Here is a
brief description of what is and what is not covered with the Medicare
Part D Coverage Gap: Read more…

Medicare, like many insurance companies, has made some mistakes over
the years that they are trying to correct with recent changes. One of
these mistakes was a coverage gap that left many people struggling to
pay for medications that they needed. Now, you can get help, though
it won’t pay for everything. Here is a brief synopsis of what you
will pay when you reach the coverage gap. Read more…

You may know that Medicare does not cover long-term care insurance if it is the only type of care that you require. What you may not know is that Medicare does cover long-term hospital care if the coverage goes over 25 days total. These are in major injury or illness situations that are outlined by Medicare below: Read more…

Long-term care is important in your life when it comes to being elderly or sick and this makes having the right insurance coverage vitally important. The problem with this is that Medicare doesn’t necessarily cover this type of care when you might really need it. Here is the definition by Medicare of what type of long-term care is covered and what type is not. Read more…

When you start receiving any kind of random phone calls it can be disturbing to think about what is happening and what people are trying to do to you. Phone calls that are from unknown callers can be scary because you don’t understand the motive behind it, but they are even stranger when you don’t know how the information was obtained by the caller. People calling you randomly and asking you about your Medicare supplies should not be trusted in any way. Read more…

When it comes to protecting yourself from identity theft or any other kind of financial fraud your goals should be the same, protect your access information. If you can help it you shouldn’t let anyone know your username or password so you can protect your information to all financial records or information. Any time that anyone requests this information it should be an immediate red flag that they are up to something that they should not be up to.

Any insurance company in any field of insurance should know better than to require you to see anyone to fix whatever your need for insurance is. Car insurance companies cannot require that you go to one particular body shop and health insurance companies cannot require you to go to any one particular doctor. This is another form of Medicare supplier fraud that is becoming an issue, when suppliers are requiring participants to see specific doctors before receiving any further materials. Read more…

Medicare fraud has become even more prevalent these days with the amount of money to be made and the ability to prey on the elderly being easy for the evildoers. The hard thing about Medicare fraud is that it isn’t just coming from those that are trying to defraud you as possible providers, but as suppliers too. One way that people are doing this is by sending you “free” equipment that isn’t just as free as it looks at first. Read more…

Streamlining the processes of Medicare to improve performance and better serve subscribers is a goal of Medicare. General recordkeeping is one way that Medicare is improving in addition to improving relationships with doctors and subscribers themselves. Electronic Health Records have been one of the biggest steps forward for Medicare over the last few years. Read more…

New programs, tests and theories are available and accessible to subscribers in 2012 as Medicare continues to try new options. Doctors and other healthcare providers will take a different approach with Accountable Care Organizations in 2012 to try to make things better for you. Your experience could get much easier and improved through the experience you have with this program. Read more…

A few options are available for long term care and how to pay for it in Medicare for 2012. You would have total control over how to pay for your long term care if you used your savings, but that is a risky chance to take. You could go through a local or community group to have long term care covered or you could purchase coverage outside of Medicare. Read more…

With the continuing problems for the economy and joblessness there is an increasing presence of insurance fraud and this includes Medicare. Medicare has decided to put their subscribers to the task of defending their honor by offering $1,000 to people who are able to stop this fraud. Speaking to a Medicare representative is one way you can do this, or you could report the Medicare fraud to 1-800-MEDICARE. Read more…

At any time during the year you will be able to switch to a 5-star Medicare Advantage Plan after the new process starts on December 8th, 2011. The title really says it all as there is no mystery behind what makes their 5-star Medicare Advantage Plan. To give overall performance star ratings to plans Medicare uses surveys to measure member satisfaction.

To give you an idea of the service and treatment you can expect you will see a 1-star (poor) or a 5-star (excellent) to measure the service. You may have a hard time finding a 5-star center but the following information should help you in your quest.

• You can go to www.medicare.gov/find-a-plan for the overall plan star ratings.

• Only if it is available in your area can you join a 5-star Medicare Advantage Plan.

• Once a year is the limit to the special enrollment period for changing to a 5-star plan.

For the 2012 plan year you will have new enrollment dates to make your Medicare enrollment easier and more possible to do sooner. One reason for the move is to give you more time to get health or prescription drug plans solved for 2012. Three main periods of time are available to you and they will be described in greater detail for your benefit. Read more…

Dialysis can be a very important treatment for many people with a medical condition and this is why Medicare takes special steps to assist you with the treatment. With the Medicare coverage that you have it is possible that much of the dialysis treatment you need will be covered by your policy. This doesn’t mean that you won’t pay anything, but it could save you a lot of money. Read more…

The effect of diabetes can extend throughout your body because of the nature of the condition and this could cause some financial trouble for those afflicted. Thankfully, insurance can absorb much of this expense if you are lucky enough to have the coverage and if you have Medicare, you are covered. One of the experiences that many with diabetes have is painful foot issues that require exams to determine if treatment is necessary. Read more…

Diabetes can have many far reaching effects due to the nature of the condition and your insurance needs to be able to help with the care. Medicare can help to soften the blow that is caused by diabetes thanks to the coverage that is extended with your policy. One of the ways that Medicare can help is by covering some eye tests that will help to determine the extent of your diabetes effects. Read more…

Diabetes can wreck havoc on a person’s body and one of the places where this is most apparent is when you look at the feet of a diabetic. If this person has diabetic foot disease you will notice that great help and support is needed for the feet of the patient. Medicare can help in the way of diabetic foot wear and inserts to protect the feet. Read more…

When it comes to your treatment for diabetes under Medicare you can’t get discouraged if you are first told that what you need is not covered. In some situations, like with supplies and medication for diabetes, it is possible that one part of Medicare will not cover the situation while another one will. Medicare Part D can step up and help you with much of what you need to take care of your condition of diabetes. Read more…